Apex Predator

by DarthRevan

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Human, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Original Character
Length: 5337

Doctor Evelyn Gray. Biologist. Engineer. Dragon. Wait, what? Skin became scales and now Gray must investigate this empty world while dealing with new predatory instincts.

"My name is Evelyn Grey. I was once a brilliant scientist. Now, I'm a brilliant dragon. Maybe I can find out what happened to humanity. Maybe I can find out who caused this. There are a lot of maybe's in the world right now. At the moment, I need to focus on survival. If I'm going to do that, I need to hunt."

(Spin off of Starscribe's story "The Last Pony On Earth" found here)

Published 2015-07-02 15:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-10-19 04:39:44 UTC

Thieves

The man was looking over the converter before him. He was a middle aged man, his brown hair already turning grey. His nametag read 'Doctor Evelyn Gray'. Next to him stood a woman, not that much younger than he was. They were both staring with awe at the machine before them. The converter whirred once more and a panel opened up. Inside was a small vial of yellow liquid.

"D-Did it work, love?" The burnette woman asked.

"Only one way to find out." Gray mumbled. He picked up the vial and walked to the other end of the room. The two were in a large workshop, the area holding the conversion generator only taking up a small area. Gray approached a truck parked inside. After making sure the truck was completely empty, Gray opened the fuel tank. He poured the liquid in, no more than a cup. He got inside the truck and picked up the keys. "Wish me luck, Martha." He called out. Martha grinned wildly and gave him a thumbs up.

"You're a genius, Evelyn. You got this." She replied. Gray smiled in return and put the keys in. With a small gulp, he turned them. The engine roared to life, brimming with power. Grinning, Gray tapped the accelerator. The truck shot forward about ten feet, summoning a scream from Martha. The truck was close to hitting her. After the initial panic, Martha began to laugh. "It works! It works! It fucking works!" She yelled. Gray began laughing too.

"The Biofuel works!"

Martha and Gray were standing next to one another in the employee lounge. Dozens of engineers, biologists, and businessmen surrounded them. Each had a glass of champagne in hand.

"When is the public announcement?" One of the businessmen asked.

"Tomorrow, we've kept this secret long enough." Gray answered. "The public deserves to know."

"How did you even manage this?" One of the engineers asked.

"My converter-" Gray began. Martha playfully elbowed his stomach. "Our converter," Gray quickly corrected, earning a laugh from the audience. "The converter takes biological material and breaks it down into it's purest form. Energy. This energy is then taken and applied pressure to, creating the Biofuel." Gray explained.

"What kind of biological materials can be used?" One of the biologists asked. This time, Martha was ready to answer.

"Any. Whether it's living, dead or animal, plant. If it is or was alive, it will work." She explained.

"I think that's enough questions." Gray said, he raised his glass. "To the future!"

"To the future!"

Most of the guests have left, leaving Gray, Martha, and a few stragglers alone.

"You did it." Martha simply said, tears in her eyes. Gray smiled.

"We did, honey. We changed the world, not just me." He said. A suited man approached the two.

"Doctor Gray?" He said. Gray turned to him.

"A question?" He asked. The man looked around, not liking the other people in the room.

"Yes, but not for public ears." He said. Gray nodded.

"Let's go up to my office." He turned to Martha. "I'll see you at home."

"Don't be late." She said, still smiling. She leaned in for a quick kiss. After she had left the two men began walking to the upstairs office.

"Do I get a name or do I call you 'Suit'?" Gray asked. The man smirked.

"Funny. My name is Alexander Lee and I represent the Human Preservation Institute. The HPI want to make you an offer." Alexander said.

"Preservation? What, you think the world's gonna end soon?" Gray asked. He reached onto his desk and opened up a bag of nuts. He threw a peanut into the air.

"Simply put, yes." Alexander said. Gray nearly choked on the peanut.

"Believe what you want but I don't think humanity's going to up and disappear. Even so, I don't think Biofuel is going to help." Gray said.

"Biofuel would help immensely when it's time to rebuild." Alexander removed his glasses, revealing his green eyes. "HPI can promise you and your wife room in our shielded bunker." Gray's eyes widened.

"Bunker? What the Hell do you think is going to happen?" He asked. Alexander sighed.

"That question is far above my pay grade. I doubted it myself until I saw how much money is being put into this by the entire damn world! Every first and second world country has put billions of dollars into this Institute!" He said. Gray looked at him.

"I don't believe you. The whole goddamn world can't keep a secret like that." Gray turned and left. Alexander sat in the office alone. He calmly brought his phone out and made a call.

"Bring up the van."

Gray stood in the bathroom, staring at his own reflection.

"The government keeps lots of secrets, why would this one be any different? Because telling the planet the human race is doomed would cause more chaos than anything else. Alex couldn't have been telling the truth. He's just some businessman trying buy the Biofuel cheap." Gray turned on the faucet and splashed water into his own face. The sound of glass shattering broke Gray's concentration. "The Hell?" He ran out of the bathroom and looked towards the origin. A moving van had backed up into the window, it's back open. Several men were loading his research into it. They hadn't noticed Gray yet.

"Where's Mister Lee?" One of them asked.

"He's getting that generator thing from the next room." Another asked. Gray turned to the room containing the generator. Gray snuck to the door and walked in. Alexander stood above on a balcony, holding the generator.

"Hey!" Gray yelled. "Put that down, you thieving bastard!" Alexander looked down and smirked.

"I have four muscle bound bodyguards in the next room and you're screaming?" He asked. Gray bolt locked the door.

"Yes, yes I did." Gray ran up the stairs leading to the balcony. Alexander grimaced.

"Your damning us. Our whole goddamn race. I will not let one man doom billions!" Alexander ran towards Gray and punched him in the gut. Gray doubled over in pain. Alexander kicked Gray onto the ground.

"You're a madman." Gray groaned. Alexander picked Gray off the ground, holding him by the collar.

"If saving lives is mad, I don't want to be sane." He threw Gray towards the window. Time seemed to slow down for Gray as the glass shattered. Time went even slower as Gray could see the smirk on Alexander's face. One last thought overtook Gray before the darkness came.

I'm sorry Martha.

Author's Note

Written and produced by DarthRevan

Starring George Clooney as Doctor Evelyn Gray

And Tom Hiddleston as Alexander

Changes

The sun shone bright on Gray's eyes, disturbing his rest.

"D-Did that really happen?" Gray asked himself. He froze. His voice sounded... different. Deeper, and more scratchy. "That fall must of done more damage than I thought." He put his hand over his head. Once again, the good Doctor froze. His head felt hardened and scaly. Slowly, Gray opened his eyes. The hand in front of his face was covered in dull orange scales. The fingertips ended in sharp claws. The palm was covered in yellow scales. "Dear God." Gray mumbled. He slowly sat up and looked his surroundings over. He was in some sort of hospital bed. His eyes turned to his body. It was covered in similar scales to his claw, his stomach and chest yellow. His body was leaner, more defined. He felt stronger. Several IV tubes entered his arms. "Mirror." Gray growled. "I need a mirror!" He bellowed. He easily tore the tubes from his arms and rose to his feet. His toes also ended in talons. An orange tail followed behind. He tumbled and nearly fell several times before he finally reached a sink. He studied his new face. A snout shot out from his face, scales covering everything. Sharp teeth filled his mouth, a forked tongue licking them. His pupil was pure yellow and is iris was red and elongated like a cats.

"S-Sir?" A meek voice called out. Gray immediately turned to the origin. Standing in the door was a terrified being. It was short, only half as tall as Gray. It was furred, colored grey. It's eyes were large and the terror was obvious in their green depths. Atop it's head was a mane and behind it was a quivering tail, both dark blue. It's four legs ended in hooves. A horse, Gray thought. Or more accurately a pony given the size.

"Who are you?" Gray growled.

"M-My name is Stephanie Rivers." The pony said quickly.

"What the Hell did you do to me?" Gray ordered.

"N-Nothing!" Stephanie eeped. "I found you outside two days ago. Y-You were pretty banged up." She explained.

"You're lying! You had to do something to me I'm a goddamn dragon!" Gray nearly roared. Stephanie curled up into a ball, the way she was shaking making her crying obvious. Gray sighed. "I'm, I'm sorry." He began. "This is just so impossible." He crouched down until he was eye level with the pony. "My name is Evelyn Gray and I am apparently a dragon." He grinned. Stephanie laughed a little. "But I don't know what's going on. Do you?" Stephanie rose to her hooves.

"I don't have anything to tell you. All I know is that I woke up on May 23rd and I was a pegasus. E-everyone is gone. It's been two weeks and you're the first person I've meet. Long Beach is deserted." Stephanie explained. Gray froze, hopefully for the last time.

"Long Beach?" Gray looked down at her. "Are we in California?!" He asked. Stephanie looked at him, confused.

"Yeah. We're pretty close to the coast and LA." Stephanie explained.

"No no no no no no no no." Gray began holding his head in his claws. "Last thing I remember it was the night of May 22nd! And my lab is in New York City!" He said.

"How?! I found you in the alley!" She said.

"So you're telling me I travelled two weeks into the future and to the other side of the country?!" Gray asked. "I need to get back to New York. Something very important to me was stolen. Something important to the whole planet!" Gray explained. "Thank you for the help but I need to go." Gray turned to leave.

"Wait!" Stephanie called out, loud. "I-I can't be alone again! I went through Hell these past two weeks! Learning how to walk, how to eat, how to get dressed!" Tears once again filled her eyes. "I'm coming with you." Her nurse uniform was ragged. Gray looked her over. He sighed.

"Fine. You can come. Before we leave, we need supplies and a vehicle. Preferably diesal. After that we'll start the journey to New York and the Human Preservation Institute, the group who robbed me. We'll need to find my wife once we arrive."

"How do you know they'll be there?" Stephanie asked.

"What?" Gray asked, his head tilted.

"I've searched the entire city and I've only found you. Out of the thousands of people in Long Beach, we were the only people left." Stephanie explained.

"We have to have hope. I pray my Martha is ok." Gray sighed and looked towards the ground. "The fact we're both here proves that there are others out there."

"I have food and medicine stockpiled in the hospitals freezer. We can scavenge other supplies from around here." Stephanie offered. Gray nodded.

"Good. How are you keeping the power going? It should've run out by now." He noted.

"I have two generators. One of them is powering this room and the other is powering the freezer." Stephanie explained. Her hoof rubbed the back of her head. "The generators are pretty big and I have a lot of food. I think we'd need a U-Haul to transport it all."

"Then a truck we'll get." Gray looked out the window. "The sun is starting to set. We'll gather everything in the morning." Stephanie yawned.

"Sleep sounds amazing." She simply stated. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm stuffed. I'll sleep here." Gray offered.

"Sleep tight, tomorrow's going to be big!" Stephanie giggled. "See you in the morning Evelyn." Stephanie left the room and shut the door behind her. Gray sighed.

"My wife may be gone. Dear God, let her be fine. I'll even love her as a goddamn pony. Just let her be fine."

Scavengers

The dreams of Gray were haunted by his thoughts. Why was he tired if he just got out of a coma? Why wasn't he hungry? What happened to the planet? Was this what the HPI was planning for? Most of all, his dreams were filled with the face of his wife. His partner. The face of a woman he may never see again.

"Why didn't you save me?" A voice called out.

"I didn't know! I was attacked!" Gray called back. The dragon was in a black expanse of fog, entirely alone. "I'm coming for you, my love. I will find you."

"Please." The voice of Martha pleaded.

Gray awoke with a start. The sun had just rose, light barely pouring into his room. Stephanie stood nearby, packing the little supplies she kept in the room.

"Morning, Gray." She said cheerfully. The pegasus was dancing to the upbeat pop music playing from her earpuds. Gray rose from the bed.

"I have a question." He said. Stephanie turned to him.

"Shoot."

"Why was I connected to IV cables?" Gray asked.

"Well you were pretty banged up. It looked like you were thrown out a damn window. Had to keep your blood from falling out." The nurse pointed out.

"Yet my cuts are healed." Gray said. Stephanie giggled.

"You were here for two days, dude. Your cuts healed." She said. "What's the plan for today?" She asked. Gray thought it over.

"You begin packing everything you can here. I'll head out into town to get a U-Haul, diesel, and food. Hopefully this won't take too long." He explained. Stephanie, quite impossibly, brought her hoof to her forehead in a mock-salute.

"Ay ay." She said. She reached into her coat pocket and brought out something Gray hadn't seen in decades.

"A Sony Walkman?" He chuckled. Stephanie shrugged.

"Hooves, remember?" She pointed out.

"See you soon." Gray said. Stephanie nodded a goodbye and left the room.

Evelyn Gray was not having a good morning. His new body was terribly off balance, thanks to his tail, and he had yet to find anything on his 'shopping' list despite the few hours he spent searching. Gray turned around a building, not too eager for looking through another seafood restaurant. Luckily, it wasn't a restaurant Gray found but a parking lot. A parking lot that contained a U-Haul.

"Jackpot." The dragon said to himself. He approached the truck and gave a tug on the door. Locked. After several moments of consideration, Gray was seriously thinking of busting in the window when he realized something. His claws were quite long, two inches, and he knew a lot about cars. Enough to lockpick one. Gray put his claw into the keyhole and twist and turned until he heard an audible click. Grinning, the scientist opened the door.

The truck was entirely empty and mostly clean. It must of been returned recently. With hope in his eyes, Gray checked the gas gauge.

"Dammit!" Empty. Gray shut the door, a little forcefully, and began searching for his next item. Diesel, or gas if the former was unavailable.

Luckily, a gas station was nearby. Following the pipes attached to the pumps, Gray quickly found the tank that held diesel. Using his newfound strength, Gray pushed the tank a little. The sloshing indicated that it was at least two-thirds full.

"Considering that diesel lasts up to a year before degradation even begins, I think I'll stock up." Gray said to himself. Gray rushed into the gas station, ignoring the 'ding' of the digital bell. The dragon reached the drink aisle and began grabbing every gallon container he could get his claws on. Using a sink, he cleaned out the containers. He grabbed a garden hose on his way out.

Soon enough, Gray was filling up gallons of diesel for his own use. This took some time but having 150 gallons of diesel was worth it. He took a single gallon with him on his return trip to the U-Haul. After quickly putting the diesel in, he drove back to the station.

He began packing the jugs into the truck when a noise rang out. A quick noise reminiscent of a flame starting. Alarmed, Gray cocked his head towards the sound. A faint outline of smoke was rising from behind the station. Cautiously, Gray turned the corner. On the ground laid a circle filled with strange symbols. The circle was still smoking.

"Runes?" Gray asked himself. A bang rang out almost as soon as he spoke, something on metal. Using his heightened sense of hearing, Gray followed the noise. A dumpster nearby had been slammed into by something. "Whatever it was, it's gone now." Gray conceded. Before he turned to leave he noticed something on the ground. A single strand of silver hair.

Driving down the road, he had nearly torn the seat apart making room for his tail, Gray was looking for some place that would have meat. He had already looted the gas station for all the fruits, vegetables, and beef jerky they had. The jewelry had intrigued Gray, something instinctive, but he lost interest when he discovered they were fakes.

"Dragons do like their gold." Gray joked. He eventually found a supermarket. "There's bound to be food in there." Having parked the truck, Gray entered the building. The dragon retrieved a shopping cart, as if everything was fine, and began piling food and other supplies.

"Thank God Wal-Mart has everything." He said. While he was piling tools an earsplitting howl rang out. Several more followed. Gray soon found himself surrounded by nearly feral dogs. Instinctively, Gray bared his teeth and growled in return. The dogs seemed hesitant to attack but Gray noticed their emaciated stomachs. They were desperate. One of the four dogs leapt, Gray threw himself to the right. He slammed into a tool rack while the dog landed on one of his comrades. The two canines growled at each other before focusing on Gray. The dogs began circling him but one drew too close. Gray kicked at it. A combination of his new strength and his sharp foot-talons tore into the dogs stomach, taking it out of the fight almost immediately.

"Shit!" Gray roared. The other three grew much more wary after their ally's death. One leapt latched onto Gray's arm, teeth puncturing the scales in a few places. After noting his blue blood, Gray stabbed his claws into the dogs neck and tore it off his arm. He threw the corpse away.

"You want some more?" Gray taunted, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The other two leapt simultaneously, one latching onto his back while the other went for his legs. Gray grabbed a hold of both of them and tore them off. The two dogs in claw, he slammed the two together, killing them both. Gray dropped the corpses, panting mildly.

"One hell of a bloodlust." He noted between breaths. Shaking the blood off of his claws, Gray went back to 'shopping'.

"You did what?" Stephanie asked, dumbfounded.

"Got an ungodly amount of diesel, food, and then killed a couple of wolf-dogs." Gray boasted. "Pretty exciting day." He added. Stephanie snorted.

"No dip. Well, we're ready to leave this place behind us. Ready to go on a mad quest for love and revenge that begins in the West and will end in the East." Stephanie grinned like a madwoman, well a madmare. "You ready?" She asked. Gray only smirked in response.

Author's Note

Hey look an update. How nice.
Fair warning playing every single Metal Gear game and having school cuts into your writing time. Just wanted to let you know.

The Open Road

The truck was barreling down the highway, transformed humans inside. Gray was driving the car while Stephanie was laying on a couch in the storage area.

"Where'd you get that thing anyway?" Gray asked. Stephanie turned towards him.

"Some house. Not like the owners were gonna miss it." She pointed out. Gray shrugged in response.

"I've been meaning to ask you some questions..." Gray began.

"What about?" Stephanie asked. Gray scratched the back of his scaly head.

"Well you help a strange dragon you found in the alleyway, obviously you have some medical experience. Second, you're were completely willing to leave Long Beach behind and travel with a complete stranger to the other side of the country. Despite the few days spent together, I don't think we know anything about each other beyond our names." Gray explained. Stephanie started patting her hooves together.

"OK, life story time." She told herself. "Well, my name is Stephanie Rivers. You should know that much. While o was born and raised in Long Beach it wasn't exactly the best life, blame my Mom. To get away from home I kinda threw myself into schoolwork and my teachers noticed my talent in Biology, Health, and Chemistry. They recommended Medical School." Stephanie's eyes turned downcast. "Between finally leaving home and the high pay I couldn't NOT choose the medical field." She said. "After I got my degree, I started nursing at the local hospital. I was going to work my way up but then this shit started. As for saving you and be so willing to leave," Stephanie paused mid second. Her eyes glazing over. "Those two weeks alone were Hell. No company, no voices, nothing. Just me and my new winged form. I couldn't be alone anymore. If that means leaving Cali' behind for New York? I'm willing to tag along." Stephanie finished. She began to look at Gray, expectantly.

"Oh!" Gray called out. "I'm Doctor Evelyn Gray. I was born in England but my Father's computer software job took us to America shortly after I was born. We moved around a lot when I was growing up. Didn't stay in one place more than a year." Gray chuckled. "Making friends was a bitch when your Father was everyone's boss and you were always the 'new kid'. However, my life changed during our year in New York when I was 17. I was already planning on moving out as soon as I could but I meet someone who furthered those plans. Martha Jameson. My future wife." Longing and nostalgia filled Gray's serpentine eyes. "She was a chemist. A teenage prodigy. Her formulas and ideas were breathtaking and stunning. Almost akin to her beauty. By the time, I was an accomplished engineer. I had already designed the new plane model that would make me rich. You see, it consumed less fuel and focused more on air power to keep it up. Allowing the fuel to handle propulsion alone. Anyway, we meet in the school science fair. My plane went up against her Fast Growing Crops Formula. Hers won, with the theme being the betterment of mankind. We began to talk and things went from there." An angry look was plastered on his face. "We spent the next decade designing and building the perfect energy converter. Turning biological matter into sustainable energy. The night humanity disappeared, a group calling themselves the Human Preservation Institute stole my converter. That, and finding my wife, is why we're going to New York." Stephanie laughed. If Gray had eyebrows he would've raised one.

"The Pegasus Nurse and The Engineering Dragon go on a quest to get technology back from people who are probably gone." She giggled again. "Sounds like a fairy tale." Gray sighed.

"We live in a world where pegasi and dragons exist. This is already a fairy tale." Gray concluded. The moment was ruined when Gray's stomach growled. "Sorry. Pass me up some food." Gray asked. Stephanie began digging around a food box labeled 'Really Bad Smelling Meat, Smart Dragon Only'. After wrinkling her nose in disgust, Stephanie tossed up a bag of beef jerky.

Gray opened the bag up and tossed a clawfull of jerky into his mouth. His sharp teeth tore the jerky apart easily. Gray soon devoured the entire bag.

"Strange." Gray said. Stephanie perked her eyes in response, something that Gray roughly translated into 'hmm?' "I ate an entire bag and yet my hunger as only grew. Give me something else, perhaps the preservatives are to blame." Stephanie hoofed over burgers, raw beef, chicken, pork, fruits, vegetables, and even bread. Eventually, the painful hunger caused Gray to park on the side of the road and tear into any remaining food. As each food item revealed itself to be fruitless, Gray became more and more agitated.

"Gray, you OK?" Stephanie asked, concerned. Gray turned and hissed at her, his eyes nothing but slits. Stephanie screamed and fell back. Gray's rampage eventually knocked over a box, amidst the debris laid a small ruby necklace. Gray turned towards it, feral tongue licking his lips. Gray pounced on the necklace and devoured it. He turned to the box of jewelry it came from and began eating.

Soon enough, Gray collapsed on the bed of the truck. Panting heavily. His eyes widened back into pupils and Gray gasped.

"My God!" He exclaimed. "Stephanie, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." He said. Stephanie cautiously approached.

"Whatever it was, it made you eat all my jewelry." She pointed out.

"I guess dragons eat jewels." Gray said. Stephanie giggled.

"No shit, Sherlock."

Purity Of Flame

Stephanie looked out the window of the truck. A small shop was besides them.

"John Joe's Jewels." She read. "Getting hungry?" She asked to the dragon beside her.

"Not yet but it would be wise to stock up." Gray answered. The two grabbed duffel bags, loot from a grocery they had robbed to replace all the food Gray ate, and entered the store. Rows upon rows of jewelry laid before them. Stephanie giggled.

"Might want to mop up that drool, smart guy." The pegasus said. Blood somehow showing through his cheeks, Gray wiped his snout.

"Grab anything with gems. Considering how long it took me to grow hungry for jewels I won't need any of this for a few days. Still, I'd rather not risk it." He ordered.

"Expensive tastes, scales, claws, a useful tail, and you stayed the same height?" Stephanie said. "Some dragons get all the luck." She said as she began dragging racks of rings into her bag. Gray chuckled.

"And his companion, the pretty pegasus pony in a nurse's uniform." He flashed a grin. "I'd say it's a fair trade." His eyes particularly sparked when he saw a multi jeweled necklace. "A snack to hold me over." He explained to his friend as he popped the necklace into his mouth. His powerful jaw, along with sharp teeth, easily crushed the metal and gem.

Stephanie went into the back, looking for the real expensive items. The pegasus opened the door and gasped. The office was a wreck. The desk was littered with paper, much of it nonsense. A crude bed, made of cardboard, laid on the ground. A drawing of a flame filled an entire wall. Due to freshness of the paint, Stephanie knew it was fresh.

"Gray!" She called out, worried. Said dragon was busy shoving jewels into his near full duffel bag.

"I'm almost done, Rivers!" He called back. "You can go back to sleep soon enough." He added.

"I found something, come here!" Stephanie called back. Gray rolled his eyes. It couldn't be that important. Before he could reply a shadow fell over him.

"You would do best to follow your friend's advice." A deep and thickly accented voice said. Gray's eyes went wide as he turned around. Standing over even he was a twelve foot monster. Immediately noticeable was it's black fur. After that, it's bull head. While his head was bovine his torso was more comparable to that of a professional wrestler. Albeit covered in fur. It's legs were incredibly shaggy and ended in hooves.

"A minotaur." Gray whispered, remembering his Greek mythology. The minotaur scoffed.

"Da. And I see a dragon jewel thief." The minotaur crossed his huge arms. "One would think that jewelry wouldn't be important after The End." He said. Gray's throat had gone dry.

"I-I didn't realize they were owned." He eventually said. "I came here because dragons need to eat gems." Gray explained. The minotaur nodded.

"It is difficult not eating meat." He said. He glanced down at Gray. "I am Sokolov. Pyrotechnician turned bastard son of ox and man." Sokolov introduced.

"I am Doctor Evelyn Gray. Engineer." He said.

"Stephanie Rivers. Certified Nurse." Stephanie called out from the door she was cowering behind. Sokolov turned towards her and scoffed once more.

"Minotaur. Pegasus. Dragon." He said. "European Myths replace Mankind and inherit the Earth." He added. "I do not suppose you know what has occurred?" Sokolov asked.

"I'm afraid not." Gray replied.

"Still, is good to find others. Loneliness will kill faster than a bullet." Sokolov said. "This is my home now. A filthy store filled with cheap gems."

"And you've been surviving here?" Stephanie asked.

"I am...new to this country." Sokolov said. "I did not agree with one of Putin's view so I left Russia. The outskirts of LA are all I know."

"We're headed to New York City ourselves." Gray said. "I'm going home to my wife and my work." He added. Sokolov laughed.

"Do not expect to find your loved one, Evelyn. Most have disappeared." He responded.

"I won't give up hope until I get there." Gray immediately replied, a little harsh sounding.

"You have fire within you, Evelyn. Appropriate for a dragon." Sokolov chuckled. "Fan that fire until it flows out of control. The purity of it will guide your path." He added.

"Purity?" Gray asked.

"Da. Purity. All fire is pure. The most basic form of energy. Even our Sun is made of it. Fire guided Man when Prometheus gifted it to us and it will guide you now." Sokolov answered. "Fire burns most away, leaving only the most basic elements. When fire burns paper, it leaves behind ash. When life burns people, it leaves behind their true self." He elaborated.

"Tragedy shows people who you really are." Stephanie said. "Saw a Hell of a lot of that in the Hospital." She added.

"I am sure this new challenge is a purity burn from the gods." Sokolov said. "Possessions, presentation, and people have ruined Man. So Man was remade. Into Bovine, Equine, and Drake." He continued.

"If this is a test we must be failing." Gray remarked. Sokolov shook his gigantic head.

"Despite your changes you go to your wife. Your lover. The flames burned away your fake and Loyalty remained." He grinned. "Sounds like passing to me." Stephanie laughed.

"I always loved philosophy. Wanna come with?" The pegasus asked, having edged closer to the group.

"A cross-country trip for love? Starring a dragon, a pegasus, and a minotaur? Sounds mythical enough." Sokolov said. Gray grinned.

"The more the merrier when it comes to the apocalypse. Pack your things, we're burning daylight."

A silver haired unicorn laid in a box, surrounded by luxury items such as clothes and books. Things not likely to be touched for quite some time. She had known the moment she spotted the dragon. He was who she was looking for. Who she needed. Soon, she thought to herself. Soon she shall reveal herself. They would be in awe of her magic and would clamor for her advice. A smirk crossed her lips as she thought this. They would follow her. Was there ever any doubt?